A lot of people are talking about idea or message of art piece. Is it so important? If I liken fine art piece to music (only example) I remember on my favorite musician Jean Michel Jearre. His production has no message for people (his words) and he is one of the famous and one of the most creative composers on world. So why is a message of fine art piece so important for you?

That's a mighty big subject, pardner. Depends so much on what area you're talking about and what kind of a "message" you're talking about. Fred, Spooge, Jason Manley and many others refer a lot to "storytelling". When I see "message" it means, to me, the artist is looking to "sell" something - some kind of political, social or personal agenda.

"Storytelling" on the otherhand is something all great illustrations and objective artwork have in common, to greater and lesser degrees. I think it's vital. You want to catch the viewer and bring them into the "story". We hook 'em with all those tough things we talk about here - good composition, interesting and dynamic shapes, appropriate color. But behind that is the story - the reason "why" we chose to draw or paint that particular subject.

There's no right and wrong in the region of "why", but it's something we all have to answer before we start a pic or a drawing.

To use a recent example of storytelling - Jason Manley's tutorial over at 3Dpalette, on the dark elf concept painting for Icewind Dale. There's action and mystery in that Painting - not a full story, but something that holds your interest. There's "stuff" going on - a bigger story - it pulls you in. Same thing with Spooge's Isolde. It's part of a bigger story and it pulls you in.

Contrast that with a simple, straightforward character concept that just stands there. I'm not knocking the fantastic character concepts I see on this Forum - just making a comparison. Jason could have just done a straight-up beautifully rendered character study of the dark elf - but he gave him a story by putting him into a wind-whipped dark and snowy setting and gave him some "attitude" - as if he's looking darkly at you and you're right there with him. What's his next move? What's he doing there?
You start asking yourself questions and get involved in the painting. "Storytelling"

Don't know if that even BEGINS to explain this huge area. Maybe someone can get Fred to take 10 minutes and write some thoughts. That'd be great.

I don't think pictures need to have a meaning, I just noticed that I rarely use the word "art" when referring to my own and other's images. I'm not sure why.

When I make pictures, I don't often think of a meaning for them. Most of my pictures are just there to look nice, for aesthetics. I get annoyed in art class how we're expected to focus on meaning rather than technique, then get humiliated by a pretentious teacher who thinks we're shallow. Oh well.

I sometimes like pictures that have meanings, but to me their purdiness is more important.

I remember reading somewheres.. was it here, or was it on Jason Manley's article at 3dp...? Doh, whatever, the point was made that most of the fine art you see from back in the day, never had a point, it was commercially done. Some of the most historical pieces in art history didn't have any real 'points' to them, other than Pretty Picture, must satisfy King... or something like that. I also believe that Mr. Fred Flick Stone once mentioned something about this (to lazy to find thread), that this is highly culturally based.. over here in the US, most art is about individual expression. Check out Africa's art, it's a whole other thing.. more about the culture itself.

OK storytelling. Now I choose one of my favorite artists. His name is Salvador Dali. His paintings are very creative and inventive. I feel endless dynamic and power when I see his artwork. But something like meaning or message to spectator is very hard to identify. His work Time (I think. There are watches flow over objects) has no message for spectator (only if that time is flowing). It's a bad example. But other his works hasn't this message. And can we talk about message in artworks like portraits or landscapes?

fine art (fn ärt)
n.
Abbr. FA, F.A.
Art produced or intended primarily for beauty rather than utility.
Often fine arts. Any of the art forms, such as sculpture, painting, and music, that are used to create this art.